Improved bread-cutting machine



UNTED STATES PATENT (linnen RINEHART P. MARGH, OF NORRISTOVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED BREAD-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,298, dated July 2l, lbf.

To all whoml it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, RINEHART P. MARCH, of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved machine for slicing bread and other articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this speci-` fication, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of said machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

The subject of my said invention is a machine by which bread, vegetables, or other things may be rapidly sliced up to any required thickness.

A prominent feature of novelty in the machine is a device by which the automatic feedmotion is arrested during the cutting action and ascent of the knife.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents a bed or table supported on legs B B B. Upon the said table is a box, C, for the reception of loaves, vegetables, or other articles to be sliced. The said box may be formed with one rigid adjustable side, held in any required position by slotted brackets D D and clamp-nuts d d, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and one yielding side pressed inward by a spring, E, mounted upon the upper end of a slotted bracket, D', which also may be secured in any required position by a clamp-nut, d', as shown in Fig. 1.

F F are a pair of standards rising from the front of the table and connected at top by a cross-beam, F2.

G is a gate sliding in V-shaped grooves in the standards F F', and carrying a knife, H, of peculiar form, and a gage-board, I, attached adjustably by means ot' screws t' i. The edge of' the knife His by preference formed with two angular projections, as shown clearly in Fig. l, to adapt it to operate with a shaving cut, and to penetrate more smoothly and easily. The gate Gma-y be moved up and down by means of a lever, J, fulcrumed in the projecting end of' the cross-beam F2, and connected to the gate through the medium of alink, j, or

it may be operated by a treadle, or by any suitable connection with steam or other power.

K represents a follower placed within the box C, behind the articles to be sliced, and drawn forward by means of a weight, W, suspended from a cord, L, passing over a pulley, M, and attached to the rear end of the shaft k of the follower K, so as to press any articles within the box against the gage-board I, previously to each stroke, as hereinafter explained. At other times the follower K is firmly held by a. brake, N, attached to the rear end of a lever, O, fulcrumed at o to the table A, and pressed down at its forward end by a spring, P, so as to prevent any forward move ment of the follower.

R represents a rod, wire, or cord, attached at its lower end to the forward end of the lever O, and at its upper end to a plate, S, fitted to slide on the standard F', and formed with a projection, s, by which it may be drawn up by the lever J, as the latter approaches the upper extremity of its stroke.

The operation is as follows: The followerK being first retracted to the rear extremity of the box C, the latter may be filled with the loaves of bread or with the other article it is designed to slice or cut. The lever J is then raised and when near the upper extremity of .its stroke comes in contact with the projection s on the plate S, which elevates the rod It, whereby the brake N is retracted from the follower. The latter, being now released, is pressed forward by the weight W, and if the box contain bread, the latter is advanced till the foremost loaf reaches the gageboard I, when the knife H is immediately depressed by the lever J, and a slice cut off. The lever J may be thus elevated and depressed until the entire contents of the box are cut into slices of the required thickness. The slices fall into a basket or other receptacle placed beneath the front of the machine for this purpose. This done the follower K may be again retracted, the box refilled, and the operation repeated until, the desired quantity is sliced or cut. The sides of the box can readily be adjusted to conform to the size of the loaves to be out, and, owing to the elasticity of the same, the invention is well adapted for cutting cabbage, fresh bread, and other yielding articles.

By the use of a knife or blade of the construct-ion above described it will be apparent that a much more limited downward stroke of the same suffices to out the bread than would be needful were the said blade Vformed with one point or vprojection only.

| l v I 2. The combination of the brake N and rod R with the lever J and follower K k, or their equivalents, for the purpose speoied.

The above specification of my improved machine for cutting bread, 20., signed this 14th day of May, 1863.

RINEHART P. MARCH.

I Witnesses:

OCTAVIUS KNIGHT, CHARLES SMITH. 

